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John 3:16
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


    “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Do you believe it?
With all your heart?
Do you believe that God gave His Son because He loved the whole world?
Do you believe that whosoever believes in Him receives everlasting life?
Gentiles as well as Jews?
Do you believe that John 3:16 applies to this age?
SO DO WE!–WITH ALL OUR HEARTS!

We emphasize this because we have been charged of late with putting a dispensational question mark opposite John 3:16.

We not only believe that John 3:16 applies to this age, but that it is more pertinent today than when our Lord first spoke it to Nicodemus.

But first let us turn to two other Scriptures, just as plain, though less frequently quoted.

In Matthew 15:24 we have the plain words of our Lord, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

In Matthew 10:5,6 we read “These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

How can we reconcile these Scriptures with John 3:16?

    John 3:16, — “The world…whosoever.”

    Matthew 10:5,6; 15:24, — None but “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

The key to this question is found in Acts 3:25,26 where Peter says to the house of Israel, “Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, AND IN THY SEED SHALL ALL THE KINDREDS OF THE EARTH BE BLESSED. Unto you first God, having raised up His Son Jesus sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.”

The Old Testament abounds with prophecies that salvation would go to the ends of the earth through Israel. This is why our Lord confined His earthly ministry exclusively to the house of Israel. This is why Peter said to the people of Israel, “Unto you first…”

It was no secret that salvation would go to all the world, but remember that it was to go through the covenant people.

We must not forget that John 3:16 was spoken to “A RULER OF THE JEWS.” This makes the words of our Lord doubly significant. It would not be at all amiss to paraphrase them thus: “For God so loved the world, Nicodemus — not only Israel, but the world— that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Sad to say, the rulers of the Jews rejected Christ. The glorious message of John 3:16 would never have reached the Gentiles if God had waited for Israel to proclaim it.

As a nation they themselves rejected God’s Son. They even persecuted those who preached Christ and Saul of Tarsus became the leader of the opposition.

It was in this crisis that God arrested Saul and saved him so that He might unfold His secret purpose of grace to him and through him.

We quote a few Scriptures from Paul’s letters:

    “Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious; but…the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant…that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting” (I Tim. 1:13-16).

    “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned…so might grace reign” (Rom. 5:20,21).

    “FOR GOD HATH CONCLUDED THEM ALL IN UNBELIEF, THAT HE MIGHT HAVE MERCY UPON ALL. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out!” (Rom. 11:32,33).

    “For He is our peace, who hath made both one and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us…for to make in Himself of twain one new man…and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body BY THE CROSS” (Eph. 2:14-16).

This message of grace abounding, of grace reigning was revealed from heaven by the Lord Jesus Christ to the apostle Paul. He says in Ephesians 3:2,3: “If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward, HOW THAT BY REVELATION HE MADE KNOWN UNTO ME THE MYSTERY.” This was God’s eternal purpose, “kept secret since the world began” (Rom. 16:25), “hid in God” (Eph. 3:9), “in other ages not made known,” (Eph.3:5), “hid from ages and from generations” (Col. 1:26), “THE MYSTERY” (Rom. 16:25; Eph. 1:9; 3:3,4,9; 6:19; Col. 1:26,27; 2:2; 4:3).

And now, thank God, though Israel, through whom the nations should have been blessed, gropes in darkness and staggers in unbelief, any poor sinner, Jew or Gentile, may rejoice that “GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD, THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH, BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE.”

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Grace From Calvary
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


If you want to enjoy a real spiritual feast, take a concordance to the Bible and look up the word “grace.” First notice how often this word is found in the four Gospels: only four times and only once in a doctrinal sense. Then notice how often it is used in Paul’s epistles (less than half the size of the four Gospels). Here it is found well over one hundred times and practically always in a doctrinal sense, about the love and mercy of God toward sinners and toward His own. Think of it: only once is grace referred to doctrinally in the four Gospels, yet in Paul’s epistles, less than half as large in volume, it is used more than one hundred times.

This is because St. Paul was God’s chosen apostle to make known His grace to sinners. In Acts 20:24 he speaks of “the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.”

But on what basis could God, through Paul, proclaim salvation by free grace to sinners? Ah, now take your Bible and begin looking up those passages which refer to the cross, the death and the blood of Christ, again noticing that while Paul does not actually relate the story of Christ’s death, he has more, far more, to say about that death, and what it accomplished, than any other Bible writer. It would thrill the heart of any sincere Christian to go through the Epistles of Paul and see how much good news Paul proclaims on the basis of the death of Christ. This is why his message is called “the preaching of the cross” — God’s good news about what Calvary has accomplished for us (1 Cor. 1:17-23).

In Paul’s epistles we learn that through Christ’s death for us at Calvary believers are “justified,” “accepted” by God, and pronounced “complete in Christ.” By His death they are reconciled to God in one body, given a position at God’s right hand in the highest heavens and assured “the exceeding riches of His grace” in “the ages to come” — this and more! Riches of grace flowing from Calvary; this is the very essence of the glorious message which Paul was raised up to proclaim. Read his epistles and see.

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The Gospel Of Salvation
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler


With the souls of men hanging in the eternal balance, it is extremely important to give a clear presentation of the gospel. We have always marveled at how the Holy Spirit sorts through the maze of confusion regarding the various plans of salvation that have been developed over the years. Although all these plans contain an element of truth, they leave the door open to mislead the sinner.

Plan One:

    Admit you are a sinner (Rom. 3:23).
    Be willing to turn from your sins (repent) (Matt. 3:2).
    Believe Jesus Christ died for you on the Cross (I Cor. 15:3).
    Through prayer invite Jesus Christ to come in and control your life.

Plan Two:

    Confess your sins (Mark 1:5).
    Open the door of your heart so Christ can come in (Rev. 3:20).
    Believe on Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31).
    Come forward publicly to receive Jesus as your personal Savior.

Plan Three:

    Acknowledge you are a sinner (Rom. 3:23).
    You must make Jesus Christ Lord of your life (Rom. 12:1).
    Believe Christ died for you (I Cor. 15:3).
    Accept Christ as your personal Savior by praying to God.

There are two serious flaws with the above plans. First, they confuse the terms of salvation under the kingdom gospel with the gospel of the grace of God. Second, the sinner could easily place his trust in what he has done, instead of the Savior. Therefore we suggest the following:

The Scriptural Terms of Salvation:

    Acknowledge you are sinner, “for all have sinned and come
    short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).
    Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, that He died for your sins,
    was buried and rose again (Rom. 4:5; I Cor. 15:3,4).

If you have trusted Christ as your personal Savior, why not pray and thank God for your salvation.

Beloved, the unsaved are dangling over the lake of fire by one thin thread of human existence. The only thing that is standing between them and eternal judgment is the good news of Christ and Him crucified. May the Lord give us a burden for lost souls, for “now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

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What About Foot Washing?
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


    “What about foot-washing (John 13:1-17)?”

The text you cite has prompted several Christian denominations to practice foot-washing as a religious ceremonial rite. We feel the Lord was merely teaching the apostles a lesson about humility, a lesson they sorely needed (Lk. 9:46; 22:24).

In Bible days, feet that walked in sandals on dusty ground needed washing when they arrived at their destination (Gen. 19:2; 24:32). This humble task was often rendered by a servant (Gen. 18:4) or those willing to serve as a servant (Lk. 7:38; I Tim. 5:10). Proud men would of course refuse to wash a man’s feet (Lk. 7:44), and since this was sadly true of the apostles, the Lord washed their feet as “an example” (John 13:15) of humility.

This word example is important. The Mona Lisa is an example of Renaissance art, but this does not mean all Renaissance art is characterized by portraits of women. It rather means that the Mona Lisa has the same spirit of other works of that era. Thus the Lord washed the apostles’ feet to exemplify how they should treat others in the same spirit of humility. While washing a man’s feet exemplified this spirit well in Bible days, paved walks and leather shoes have rendered this particular example of humility obsolete. Today, guests are shown the same humble spirit with a beverage, a meal, and other gestures. We feel those who insist on practicing the exact example of humility the Lord gave are emphasizing symbolism over substance. They sometimes ask why we observe the Lord’s Supper but not foot washing, but the former is never said to be an example of what to do. Paul rather says, “This do” (I Cor. 11:24,25).

Finally, there is a doctrinal significance to this ceremony that renders it exclusive to Israel. God promised Israel they’d be a kingdom of priests (Ex. 19:6), and priests had to be washed in an initial baptism ceremony to initiate them into the priesthood (Ex. 29:4). Later they had to wash their hands and feet as part of their daily service (Ex. 30:19-21). When John preached that the kingdom was “at hand” (Mt. 3:2), he meant the kingdom in which Israel would be a kingdom of priests, so he baptized them to initiate them into the priesthood. In John 13, the time for the twelve to minister to the world as priests was drawing nigh, so the Lord washed their feet so they could function as priests (cf. John 13:6-10).

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Alienation And Reconciliation
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


It is impossible, and unnecessary, to reconcile friends. Reconciliation postulates alienation. It is only after men become alienated that we may try to reconcile them. Thus the reconciliation of Jews and Gentiles to God “in one body” could not begin until Israel, along with the Gentiles, had been alienated from God. This is why the Apostle Paul declares in Rom. 11:15 that “the casting away of them is,” or opens the way for, “the reconciling of the world.” Thus “God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that He might have mercy upon all” (Rom. 11:32). Little wonder the Apostle goes on to exclaim:

    “O, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!” (Ver. 33).

So now the wonderful message from God to a lost world is one of grace and peace, and it is with these words that the Apostle Paul opens all of his epistles signed by his name. In Ephesians 2, where he declares that we were all “the children of disobedience,” and therefore “by nature the children of wrath,” he goes on to tell of the riches of God’s mercy and love and grace, and says:

    “And [He] came and preached peace to you [Gentiles] which were afar off, and to them [Israelites] that were nigh” (Ver. 17).

What a blessing to enjoy peace with God, to be reconciled to Him! But this is possible only as we commit ourselves to Him who was “delivered for our offences and raised again for our justification.” Indeed, Paul follows these words in Romans 4:25 with the declaration:

    “Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1).

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This Is For Jesus
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Visiting a young pastor and his family some time ago I observed a touching example of true Christian stewardship.

It was nearly time to go to church, when the pastor’s wife reached for a small box containing a few coins and handed it to her little boy. The coins represented the boy’s earnings received for jobs done, good behavior, etc.

Seriously the boy contemplated the contents of the box and took from it two dimes — a substantial portion of the whole. Then looking up at me he said earnestly: “This is for Jesus”.

Several Scriptural lessons about Christian giving came to mind as we observed this simple incident.

This little lad had already been taught the responsibility of participating systematically in supporting the work of the Lord (I Cor. 16:2). He gave “as he purposed in his heart”; no one suggested how much he ought to give (II Cor. 9:7). After thinking it over carefully, he gave sacrificially (II Cor. 8:7,9). He “proved the sincerity of his love” (II Cor. 8:8.), for it was with sincere, childlike affection that he said: “This is for Jesus”.

Most of all, perhaps, his gift was a living demonstration of Paul’s exhortation in Romans 12:8: “He that giveth, let him do it with simplicity”. There was no fanfare, no boasting, no evidence of any feeling that he was doing a lot for the Lord; just an attitude of simple, humble satisfaction that he could join others in supporting the work of Christ.

How much we, who have too often been hardened through the years, can learn from children!

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A Worry-Free Life
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler


    “Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life?…For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that” (James 4:13-15).

The desire of James’s heart was that his readers would humble themselves before the Lord and not be presumptuous when they planned for the future, nor to worry about it. We might call it worry-free planning! We all probably know someone who gets worried when they don’t have something to worry about! Believers also struggle with this problem, but the Scriptures state, “Be careful [anxious] for nothing” (Phil. 4:6). In our contemporary language we would say, “Don’t worry about anything.” The Greek root word behind the term “careful” here is merimna, which means to pull in different directions or a distraction. This is exactly what worry will do to you: it will tear you apart, both emotionally and physically. Worry always dwells on the future in regard to what may or may not happen. It mulls over every worst-case scenario imaginable until you are tied in knots. We might say it this way: the past belongs to the ages, the present belongs to us, but the future belongs to God.

Worry is a sin! It focuses on the future, which is divine ground. The only suitable way to deal with it is to find a biblical solution to the problem. Thankfully, the Scriptures provide for us the key to living a worry-free life. This age-old problem that can be traced back to the Fall has a simple solution. In fact, the antidote to this venomous attack is the same in every age. We find it noteworthy that the Lord Himself dealt with this matter as He prepared the disciples to carry out the Great Commission.

    “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life,  what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them” (Matt. 6:25,26).

We are creatures of habit! We like the security of having a roof over our heads and knowing where we’re going to have dinner tonight. The same was true of the disciples, with this exception: the Lord had uprooted them from their comfort zone and transplanted them in His field of service. When He called them, they left their families and livelihoods to follow Him. At first it seemed the right thing to do, but the more they thought about their decision, it left them with a feeling of insecurity. In short, they were worried sick! What will we wear when the weather turns inclement? Who’s going to provide our meals today, and tomorrow, and next week? Goodness gracious, we completely forgot about our families! Who’s going to supply that need? Worry always has a way of producing more questions than answers.

Sensing their apprehension, the Lord said, “Take no thought for your life.” “Take no thought” is another way of saying, “Don’t worry about what may or may not happen!” Life is more than food and drink and clothing; they were to be more concerned about the spiritual things of God. If God can provide for the birds that fly above, which neither plant nor harvest, surely He is able to supply the needs of His laborers. We must bear in mind that, if God foreordained the Cross in His determinate counsel (Acts 2:23), and the Lamb was slain before the foundation of the world (I Pet. 1:19,20) in accordance with His foreknowledge, surely He knows every need of the disciples, not to mention ours, in advance (Matt. 6:32).

    “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” (Matt. 6:34).

This passage is the Lord’s solution to the problem of worry. They were not to concern themselves with tomorrow’s circumstances, simply because those were beyond their control. It is natural to be concerned, but they weren’t to allow their concern to deteriorate into worry that consumed them because it would only serve to disrupt their service for Christ. Our Lord speaks of two days: tomorrow, a reference to the future, which belongs to God, and today. While it is impossible simply to turn off unwarranted concern, they were to redirect it. “Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” In other words, there were enough troubles to deal with in any given day without concerning themselves with tomorrow. The answer to the sin of worry is to trust in God and focus on resolving the problems that are facing you today (Phil. 4:19).

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Church On Fire
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


The Chicago newspapers carried an account the other day of a large church, burned to the ground, at a loss of about half a million dollars. Our sympathy goes out to the pastor and congregation who, at best, will have to carry on for a time under makeshift arrangements.

But the account reminded me of the story of another church on fire. The crowds had gathered to see the fire engines pour water on the burning building, when one man spotted a friend in the crowd. “Hi Bob!” he shouted: “This is the first time I’ve seen you at church!” “Well,” responded the other, “This is the first time I’ve seen a church on fire.”

We write this as a special appeal to true, born-again Christians. Isn’t it true that if believers were more “on fire” for Christ, more completely sold out to Him, those who are now disinterested would be more apt to become interested and come to know Him as their Savior? We so soon lose interest or become discouraged, and quit. This is why the Apostle Paul, that tireless ambassador for Christ, wrote:

    “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (I Cor. 15:58.).

This, we repeat, is his exhortation to believers only, for God will not accept our money or our good works, until we have first accepted “the gift of God,” which is “eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).

Accept this gift; trust the Christ who died for your sins and He will give you plenty to do — the most rewarding service any man could possibly render.

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Glorious Liberty Of The Children Of God
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


We Americans have, for over two hundred years, celebrated our liberty as an independent nation on the Fourth of July.

It does not follow from this however, that all Americans are now free. Far from it! Think of the millions of alcoholics and drug addicts, bound with chains they only wish they could break. Think of the slaves to immoral passions, to violent tempers, to malicious backbiting, not to mention smoking and other habits they cannot control. No, the vast majority of Americans are slaves to–well, sum it all up in one word: sin.

If God is a righteous Judge — and He is — He must of course, punish sin. Romans 6:23 says: “the wages of sin is death”, but on the other hand, thank God, I Corinthians 15:3 says: “Christ died for our sins”.

The Lord Jesus Christ was no sinner; He had committed no crimes; there was no wrong He had to pay for; He had no death to die. It was our death He died at Calvary, and we are saved from the penalty as we look at Calvary and say: “This is not His death He is dying; it is mine. He is paying for my sin. I will accept this gift of God and trust Him as my Saviour”.

This is a wonderful truth: Death, the penalty of the Law, was inflicted on us — in Christ. Therefore the Law (i.e., the Ten Commandments) has no further claim on us. If it did, we would be condemned all over again. This is why Paul says in Galatians 2:19: “I through the Law am dead to the Law”. The Law may put a man to death, but after that what can it do? Nothing. The Law has put him to death (in Christ) and set him free from its own dominion.

Unsaved friend, God wants you to be free, really free. He Himself, paid sin’s penalty for you and wants you to rejoice in what Paul calls, “the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Rom. 8:21), freedom from the condemnation of the Law!

Place your trust in the Christ who died your death and you will find how gloriously true it is that “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).

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God's Eternal Purpose
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Have you ever considered carefully the opening words of the Bible? “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Why doesn’t it simply say that God created the Universe? Why the heaven and the earth?

As we go on reading we find the answer to this question, for the Bible clearly teaches that God has a two-fold purpose; one having to do with the earth and the other with heaven. The former is the subject of prophecy, while the latter is the subject of the “mystery”, or secret, revealed to and through St. Paul. (See Acts 3:21; and cf. Romans 16:25). The former concerns Israel and the nations; the latter “the Body of Christ”, the Church of the heavenly calling.

Some people are surprised to learn that there is not one promise in the whole Old Testament about going to heaven. There the whole outlook is earthly, with Messiah reigning as King (Jer. 23:5; et al). When our Lord appeared in the flesh the angels cried: “Peace on earth” (Luke 2:14). He Himself said that “the meek” shall “inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5). He taught His disciples to pray: “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10).

Even at Pentecost Peter declared that after “the restitution of all things” God would send Jesus back to earth and the times of refreshing would “come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19-21).

Not until the raising up of Paul do we learn that now all believers in Christ are “baptized into one body” (I Cor. 12:13), and Colossians 1:5 and many other Pauline passages, speak of “the hope which is laid up for you IN HEAVEN”. Indeed, before God, believers are already given a position “in heavenly places” and are “blessed with all spiritual blessings IN [THE] HEAVENLIES in Christ” (Eph. 1:3; 2:4-7).

The prophecies regarding the Kingdom, however, will still be fulfilled and Christ will reign on earth and bring the promised “times of refreshing”. Thank God, this world will not forever be a place of war and bloodshed, sickness and death, misery and woe. Indeed, at that time, heaven and earth will be opened to each other, and thus will be fulfilled God’s two-fold purpose: “That in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ…” (Eph.1:10).

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The Living God
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


    “My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God” (Psa. 42:2).

The recent “God is dead” theory had little true comfort or satisfaction for men in trouble or sorrow.

For years we supposed that the term “the living God,” in the above passage, had reference to God’s power to help, in contrast to the impotence of dead heathen idols. A careful examination of the context, however, leads us to believe that it has rather to do with His ability to respond. The gods of the heathen, by contrast, were like children’s dolls; they could not even change their countenance or respond in any way.

    “The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.

    “They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not;

    “They have ears, but they hear not, neither is there any breath in their mouths” (Psa. 135:15-17).

But the true God is a living God. He does see, hear and respond. The Psalmist, in Psalm 42, compares himself to a stag, panting with thirst. It is sometimes supposed that the scene is one of a stag pursued in the chase, but the passage says nothing of this. Palestine is a dry land and entirely apart from being hunted down, a deer might well pant for streams of running water.

Be this as it may, the stag, in this passage, is not seeking for help; he is thirsting for refreshment, and so did the Psalmist long for the refreshment of fellowship with God, the living God.

How wonderful it is that we may know the living God through faith in Christ! This is why the Apostle Paul declares in Heb. 10:19:

    “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus… a new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, His flesh. “

By His death at Calvary our Lord tore away the veil that kept us from entering into God’s presence, and now in response to our need He says:

    “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16).

Yes, God is a living God!

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Mind Your Magistrates
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


    “Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates…” (Titus 3:1).

Who are these “principalities and powers” to whom we must be subject? Well, we know there are different kinds of principalities and powers, since in Ephesians 6:12 we are told to “wrestle” them, while here we are told to “be subject” to them! Ephesians, of course, speaks of the unseen demonic host, “the rulers of the darkness of this world,” who wrestle with us as we proclaim God’s Word. But Titus 3:1 speaks of the human rulers of this world, the “magistrates” in government to whom God says we must be subject (Rom. 13:1-7).

You wouldn’t think Christians would need to be told this, but once we learn we are already citizens of heaven (Phil. 3:20), it is easy to think that this somehow negates the responsibilities of our earthly citizenship. But remember, while there is “neither bond nor free” in Christ (Gal. 3:28.), Paul still tells servants to “be obedient unto their own masters” (Titus 2:9). While there is also “neither male nor female” in Christ (Gal. 3:28.), Paul still tells wives to “submit yourselves unto your own husbands” (Eph. 5:22). And while in Christ we are already citizens of heaven, we must still be subject to magistrates.

Solomon warned, “fear thou the Lord and the king; and meddle not with them that are given to change” (Prov. 24:21). This refers not to voting men out of office, but rather to getting involved in subversive anti-government activities. God has said that the meek in Israel will inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5), and so He plans to fix all of earth’s governments for them prior to the establishment of His kingdom (Rev. 11:15). But this world is not our inheritance, we’re “just a-passing through” it, and so fixing her governments is not our fight.

An example from Israel’s past might serve to illustrate this. As Israel was passing through the wilderness on her way to the Promised Land, Edom refused to let her pass through their land (Num. 20:14-22). Why didn’t Israel fight, as they later fought those who resisted them in Canaan? Because God had instructed them to “meddle not with them,” since Edom was not their inheritance (Deut. 2:1-5)—they were just a-passin’ through! Just so, this world is not our inheritance, and so we should “meddle not with them that are given to change” its governments. We are called to “fight the good fight of faith” (I Tim. 6:12), and “no man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please Him who hath chosen him to be a soldier” (II Tim. 2:4).

[nChrist]

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Paul, The Pattern
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Many religious people take the Lord Jesus Christ as their pattern in life. They call Him “The Great Example”. When problems arise, they ask themselves: “What would Jesus do?” They seek salvation by “walking in His steps”.

While our Lord’s moral and spiritual virtues are indeed worthy of emulation, there were many details in His conduct which we should not imitate. For example, none of us would be in a position to pronounce upon the religious hypocrites of our day the bitter woes which our Lord pronounced upon the Pharisees of His day — simply because we all have so much of the Pharisee in us.

Certainly we cannot be saved by “following Christ,” or striving to live as He did. His perfect holiness would only emphasize our unrighteousness and condemn us. He came to save us, not by His life, but by His death. “CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS” (I Cor. 15:3), and sinners are “reconciled to God by the death of His Son” (Rom.5:10).

But God has given us a pattern for salvation. It is none other than the Apostle Paul, the chief of sinners saved by grace. Hear what he says by divine inspiration:

    “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, THAT CHRIST JESUS CAME INTO THE WORLD TO SAVE SINNERS, of whom I am chief” (I Tim. 1:15).

Paul, as Saul of Tarsus, remember, had led his nation and the world in rebellion against God and His Christ. He was “exceedingly mad” against the disciples of Christ and “breathed threatening and slaughter” against them. Why then, did God save him? He goes on to tell us in the next verse:

    “Howbeit [but] for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering, FOR A PATTERN to them which should hereafter believe on Him to life everlasting” (Ver.16).

The moral: Take your stand with Paul. Admit you are a sinner and his Saviour will save you too.

[nChrist]

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Be Ye Reconciled
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Reconciliation postulates alienation. Only enemies can be reconciled. Thus God’s message of reconciliation takes us back to Adam, the father of the human race, who first rebelled against God, and explains why God must deal with us all on the same level, as sinners who need salvation.

In Romans 5:12, we read: “…By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned”.

Thank God, though, the message of reconciliation is not concerned exclusively with the “one man” by whom sin entered into the world. Indeed, it is chiefly concerned with the “one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (I Tim. 2:5).

    “Therefore as by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men unto condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one, the free gift [of salvation] came upon all men to justification of life.

    “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous” (Rom. 5:18,19).

It is by this other “one Man” and His death on Calvary, then, that sinners may be reconciled to a holy God. In Colossians 1:21,22, Paul, the Apostle of reconciliation, writes to believers:

    “And you, that were once alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled,

    “In the body of His flesh, through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight.”

Thus “when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son” (Rom. 5:10). And thus, too, the Apostle pleads: “We pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For He hath made Him to be sin for us, [Christ] who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (II Cor. 5:20,21).

[nChrist]

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Rest
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


In Hebrews 1:3 we read how the Lord Jesus Christ, “when He had by Himself purged our sins, SAT DOWN on the right hand of the Majesty on High”. The tenth chapter of the same book tells us why He sat down:

    “Every priest standeth, daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man [Christ] after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, SAT DOWN on the right hand of God …FOR BY ONE OFFERING HE HATH PERFECTED FOREVER THEM THAT ARE SANCTIFIED” (Heb. 10:11-14).

There were several articles of furniture in the Old Testament tabernacle, but no chair. The priest could not sit down, for the work of redemption was not yet finished. His daily sacrifices only emphasized the fact that “it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins” (Heb.10:4).

“But this Man [Christ Jesus] sat down”, because by His death on Calvary — by that one offering — He paid for all our sins and “obtained eternal redemption for us”(Heb. 10:12; 9:12).

This is why Paul, by divine inspiration, now insists that salvation is “by grace”, that “it is the gift of God”, received “by faith” and “not of works, lest any man should boast”.

God has much for His people to do, but before we can do anything for Him we must learn to trust Him for our salvation, to rest in the finished work of Christ. God is satisfied with Christ’s payment for sin and together the Father and the Son are depicted as seated in heaven because the work is done. And now God would have us simply trust Him, entering into His rest:

    “There remaineth therefore a REST unto the people of God, FOR HE THAT HAS ENTERED INTO HIS [God’s] REST, HE ALSO HATH CEASED FROM HIS OWN WORKS, AS GOD DID FROM HIS” (Heb. 4:9,10).

    “Unto him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Rom. 4:5).